Reeves trained for months during production on the Matrix and John Wick series to get the fight styles as realistic as possible. And in his first directorial effort in Man of Tai Chi in 2013, Reeves showed off more of that love for martial arts films.

That appreciation was front and center again for Reeves when he was in Japan to promote John Wick 2. While doing an interview on a talk show, the conversation turned to martial arts legend Shin'ichi "Sonny" Chiba, whom many modern-movie fans know from his appearances in Kill Bill Vol. 1 and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

But, like Reeves, many others remember Chiba from his early career when he became one of the first stars to become famous for appearing in martial arts films. Reeves couldn’t hold back his excitement when the TV show brought out Chiba, whom he called the “No.1” martial arts guy in his book: “I can do movie kung fu, but Sonny Chiba can actually do it.”